A Stormy Voyage

This here is my travel blog. Here you will find tales of all the food I've eaten, all the people I've met, and all the places I have been.

[astormyvoyage]

My pretty kitty.

[astormyvoyage]

Cambodia Trip, Days 9, 10 and 11: December 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Battambang to Siem Reap, Siem Reap to Singapore, Singapore to Dunedin aka - three timezones, not enough sleep.

Right. So. On the 1st I got sick. Not 100% yet either despite being home and such for a couple of days now. I'm not sure if it was a combo of antibiotics and not sleeping solidly as well as dehydration or some bug from the multiple bites I have from the gosh darned mosquito's....

Basically on the 1st of December we got up early to catch the Van down from Battambang to Siem Reap. The driver had gotten mixed signals from us when he dropped us off at our hotel the week previously, and thought we wanted picked up at 10.30, not 8.30am. One of the other ladies had ordered a car on Friday for that time, so that was where the confusion lay. So this poor driver turns up at 9am, packs us silly white people into the van and hoons off down towards Siem Reap. We saw some things on our way, typical Cambodian things, like kids on top of trucks filled with chickens, over laden mopeds, horse drawn tuk-tuks (which probably have other names...) and multiple trucks with broken axles still managing to drive in a straight-ish line. One things for sure - even I could drive in Cambodia. Not so sure if I'm road ready in NZ yet.

We booted Deb out at the airport, and then picked her back up like five minutes later because she couldn't check in for another hour or so. We then rattled down a pot-hole ridden back road to by pass the main road because there was some official person hooning their way through Siem Reap so only the side roads/service roads of the main highway were open. It was a one car entourage, like seriously, traffic had crawled to a stop because one big wig was coming through. By the time we had found our hotel (which was super fancy) Deb had to be back at the airport in about half an hour - and our driver was a bit disgruntled, because I'm not even sure he was supposed to be working that day, but his boss probably called him up to fill the early slot. He said something about needing to get back for a wedding by a certain time - so hopefully he made it (if he was telling the truth). 

We had lunch by the poolside, farewelled Deb, checked in properly at 2pm and then headed down to the day markets and Pub Street. I saw a couple of funny signs, one for the feet fish that was 'Please feed our hungry fish your dead skin' and the other was for the Angkor What? pub - I liked the pun.....  We probably got a bit ripped off when buying clothes because being kiwi's our bartering skills are weak, but I managed to score my brother a present and myself some new elephant pants. Which I probably need to get someone to re-reinforce the seams of. We headed back to our fancy-pants hotel briefly - the Saem Siem Reap - and got ready for an equally fancy dinner. Which I didn't get to enjoy. By the time we made it to the restaurant, whatever sickness I have contracted had sucked all the fun out of me so I got back on the tuk tuk and went back to the hotel again. I curled up and watched the local news, Adventure Time, Tom and Jerry and Ben Ten Alien Force while dealing with my enraged stomach. Mum and the others got back at around 8pm, by then I'd recovered enough to repack my suitcase and figure out the shower. We said our fair wells to Anne and then repacked our suitcases some more. It was then to bed early for we had to be off to the airport by 8.30am. Of course that meant we were awake at 6.45am by habit - the wedding we'd heard at the hotel in Battambang finished on the day we left....

The 2nd was spent waiting around in air-ports. First the airport in Siem Reap and then in Singapore. We actually went out into Singapore again for a bit to see the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest in the Gardens by the Bay. I had a lot of fun, despite still feeling a bit iffy. I ran around with Fuwa Fuwa doing all sorts of strange things with him for photos - so all the other tourists probably thought I was a bit strange. I was very grateful for the temperature of both the dome and forest. We spent a bit of time in the airport after that - I got a Wagu Beef burger, and honestly, I don't think the meat is quite as good as the jersey beef we get at home, but it was still a lot better than your standard beef burger at any restaurant. There was this copper drop display suspended from the roof inside the check-in area of terminal three, it was pretty cool to watch. 

The flight from Singapore to Christchurch was a bit uncomfortable, but I managed to watch the other Ronin Kenshin movie as well as Maze Runner. So that was neat. I didn't get much sleep though. I was still feeling iffy, but managed to make the flight without doing my usual vomit thing. The flight from Christchurch to Dunedin was a bit bumpy and our landing approach had to be aborted the first time around due to a small aircraft taking too long to taxi off of the run way. That was a bit scary. Imagine that - surviving the craziness that is Battambang and tuk-tuks only to be injured or die in a plane crash upon landing in Dunedin. 

I got home around 4pm on the 3rd of December, started unpacking, had a shower and then passed out from 6pm - midnight. The people upstairs were having a fight - so that was a spectacular welcome home gift. After that it took me a bit to settle down. To be honest my normal sleep pattern was pretty much on Cambodian time, I've been falling asleep at around 3am and getting up at 10am to 11am NZ time for the last three weeks which translated to about 10pm Cambodian time and 6.30amish Cambodian time as well, so fixing my schedule has been made all the more difficult.

A couple of things have been re-enforced for me while on this trip. The first is that people are simultaneously terrifying and beautiful.  The amount of suffering we go through at each others hands is ridiculous. But out ability to bounce back and recover is nothing short of amazing. I'm reminded of a piece of graffiti I've seen going around on tumblr that's something along the lines of 'Stop Killing Each-Other You Twats" on a wall - also a quote from someone that was something along the lines of "I'm sick to death of old men finding new things for our young people to go to war over". Seeing what has gone on in Cambodia, and seeing what is going on in Mexico with those missing students, seeing what is going on in America with Mike Brown and Eric Garner and all the other people of colour killed by cops, seeing all these radial groups sprining up and giving faiths a dirty image and killing needlessly to spread fear and hate.....it's stupid. It's pointless. People are horrid. And I really think what it comes down to is people wanting money and power, and giving no thought to those around them, crushing what is different. Do unto others what you would have them do to you, do no harm but take not shit.  Stop Killing Each Other. 

The second is that I'm very fortunate to have been born where I was and have the opportunities I've had. While I wasn't exactly shocked by what I saw, having seen stuff on TV and heard about it from friends of mine who come from less advantaged places, it really did put into context the value of a good education and a stable country. 

The other thing that's been playing on my mind is this image I saw a few weeks ago, a painting of a malnourished child with a pile of bibles around him or her, chewing on the cover of one. You can go into countries like Cambodia with every intention of feeding people the gospel of Christ or the teachings of  Muhammed or Buddha, but if you don't get them on their feet and literal food in the stomach first, you're not going to have anyone to preach too.

One of the guys has been teaching English through the use of the bible, and has been in Cambodia longer than I have obviously, but he said something that rubbed me the wrong way - something along the lines of 'Well, what good is English if you're in Hell" - and for  one thing, yeah your priority is to spread the 'good news' but the people there are trying to recover a generation or two or more of hell on earth and sort their country out while contending with a new form of colonisation that requires them to speak at least one other language if they want to be able to feed themselves or their families or get employed somewhere legit.

I know some missionary work has come a long way from forcing religion on people, and the people I met do  have their hearts and minds in the right place, but I think modern mission and secular aid work has a long way to go. Rant aside, I was relived to see that of all the projects my parents and the people on the trip were involved with, the religion aspect was not forced. It was a staple in their work, but they were focused on feeding and teaching the kids and young people sustainable practices that weren't exclusively western based and respectful of the key areas of Khmer life. 

I realise what I've said might rattle feathers, but we can't all have the same opinions, that'd make life boring. 

[astormyvoyage]

I didn't have time to blog yesterday due to feeling ill and the trip from Battambang to Siem Reap. Have a couple of photos of me and Zachary being dorks at The Kitchen café in Battambang. And the view from our hotel the Saem Siem Reap. Will update with the last two days plus this travel day.

[astormyvoyage]

Cambodia Trip Day 8: November 30th 2014. Church, Cafes and Children made of Sunbeams.

Today has been less busy than the past...wait, way less busy than the other days since this trip started. It's hard to believe we leave from Siem Reap on Tuesday. I'll be back sleeping in my bed on Wednesday.

First stop was a Khmer church in Battambang. It wasn't all that different from home - except there was a Khmer man translating from Khmer to English or from English to Khmer depending on the person speaking. There were three groups who got up in front during worship - some young kids from a family outreach program, a youth group and then an older persons choir. The songs were all in Khmer as well - which was to be expected - but like I said, apart from that they ran the service more or less how they'd do it if they were back home or in the USA or Auzzie doing it.

After that we went to The Kitchen - I trotted off down the road to a souveneer shop and brought my mates their present - its rather unexciting but we're all going to look like members of a multi coloured gang if we wind up actually using them for serious. But hey. Also if anybody got snap chats of blurry tables and a wee blonde tyke on my knee, I let one of the kids belonging to one of the missionaries sit and play with my phone for a bit - he's around 3 years old, so don't judge him on his photography skills just yet.

After The Kitchen, we rolled down to one of the other markets - which I think was a lot better than the one we went to the other day. If I'd been in a shopping mood I may have come home with several pairs of fancy shoes since this is about the only country I've been to including my own that stocks adult shoes in my size - oh the joys of tiny feet. We then went to the Eden Cafe for lunch. 

Then it was off to the Sunbeam Kids International Orphanage. I played my Ukulele, sung some songs, and then sat down with the kids who wanted too and taught them some basic chords and let them have a go. I really wish I could have stuck around for longer. A lot of the kids have had some pretty nasty stuff happen to them, but they still remain so cheerful and full of life. And curious about the world too. I had one wee boy Davit trying to teach me Khmer - I still cant get my tongue around the syllables here, but he would make a pretty good teacher if he wanted. I think he would have been around 12-14, but it's hard to tell here, and I didn't think to ask. 

There was one wee boy - seen here in the red, who's name I have forgotten largely because I really couldn't say it....who was a real sweetie. He picked up what we showed hip pretty quickly and then went to teaching the other younger - and older - kids how do it when it was their turn. He also got me to play football and volleyball with him, his brothers and the other boys. He kept on coming up behind me and poking me in the rib too - the little brat - because he figured out I was ticklish some how. All the kids thought it was a great laugh. I really wish I had a steady income - because supporting these kids through school and Uni would be something I'd really like to do - and I know I have already got a sponsor child through World Vision, but I would still like to give these kids a bit of a hand up too - there is a lot of sporting, musical and artistic talent there waiting to be brought forth given the opportunity. The wee boy with the blue shirt and red frizzbee had a play with my camera and took a few really decent photos - Davit, Heang (boy in white playing Ukulele in second big photo) and the wee boy in red plus his older brother all have a fantastic ear for music. All the boys and girls were really skilled at football. They're children made of Sunbeams, and it's pretty horrible some of the things they've been through, but in true Khmer spirit they're doing well on their way to recovery. One thing I am pretty keen to do is get a couple of Ukulele's into the Orphanage with some sheet music and how-to-play guides, because based on what I saw today they'd be better than me in no time. They had one guitar - Davit had been learning it before something happened with his teacher - and all of the kids were really excited to have someone there who could somewhat hold a tune and do something with a western instrument.

We left the Orphanage at about 4.30-5pm ish and then made a bee-line for the pool. I caught up with some friends from Cali and Hawii over Skype before watching the latest episode from one of the shows I've been watching recently. We then went out to Nary's Kitchen for dinner. While we were there the bugs were swarming the lit sign so the owner got up on a chair and cut a roll of tape into strips and hung them from the sign and low in behold it worked, all the bugs were gone in no time. The food was fantastic and the desert I had - cooked banana in tapioca and coconut milk was amazing. The only way to have banana is cooked. None of this raw deal.

Tomorrow we leave Battambang for Siem Reap. We're booting Deb out at the airport and then making our way to our new hotel. We'll hopefully hit the night markets - I'm on a Ukulele hunt - and then get ready to fly out the next morning. I'm not sure if I'll get to make another post before then, but I will for sure write one when I've recovered enough from Jet Lag back home. Urgh. Gotta be up at 7am to roll away by 8am. Fantastic. Sleep is for the weak apparently. 

[astormyvoyage]

Cambodia Trip Day 7: November 29th 2014 - Bamboo Train, Crocodile Babies and Khmer Hot Pot.

Today started at around 6.30am for me because of a wedding going on down the road. Crikey those things are loud. Like seriously. I sleep like the dead, and most people I'm aquainted with know it's near impossible to wake me when I'm asleep, but his racket had me wide awake at an hour I consider the butt-crack of before dawn. Congrats to happy couple and all, but three days of that must really wear you down. Its only just finished for the night too, I think it's around 10pm. Laptop is still on NZ time, and I can't be arsed finding my phone to confirm that fact, but back home it's just gone 4.03am tomorrow.

Today was a touristy day really. Uncle Charles and I got bundled off on the Tuk Tuk at 8.30am to go out to the Bamboo Train. That thing is a ton of fun for the $5USD you pay for it. They're pretty much just a boat or lawn mower motor hooked up to a couple of cart wheels on a bamboo or wood slat deck. The butterflies along the track looked like birds from a distance, and were roughly the size of a small swallow. The spiders up above were about the size of dinner plates. At the end of the track for the Bamboo train there was a village, and a whole lot of kids looking to take us tourists around and tell us about the brick factory, the rice factory and the village itself. They also had bracelets to sell us, which is quite hard, like you give them about a dollar each to take you around the village, and then for a dollar you can buy 1, 2 or 5 bracelets off of them depending on the kid - they all have their little spcheels. There was one wee boy who came up to me after seeing I had brought some off the girls and he said something along the lines of; "Buy from me. The tourists only ever buy off of the girls. I'll give you 4 for a dollar." Basically he needs to get in first and his sale will be done, it's really hard to turn down the kids when they're hawking you stuff, you're really got to keep an eye on them though.

After out look around we then rattled back at speed to where we left from and then back onto our Tuk Tuk and off to see the Crocodile farm. For $2USD you can go in and look in over the big pools where they have about 100-150 crocodiles all in together. And if you're really lucky you'll get to hold a baby. There were two there for us two hold, they'd been born from the same egg, connected at the tail, so one had a bit of a stub, and the other had a slightly longer stub. They make a wee chirping sound and were surprisingly soft to the touch. I've decided I need to aquire some form of Lizard when I get home. Honestly they were the highlight of my day - beating out the meals and food related things we did. 

After the Crocodile farm was the Well of Sorrows. It was in a Buddhist Pagoda, and was built where some of the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge were commited. It was installed by the Auzzies, and it detailed a lot of what happened in the area during the reign of Pol Pot. It was pretty gut wrenching. Seriously, people can be horrifying. We're our own worst enimies - as has been seen this year with Ferguson, Hong Kong, Palestine and Mexico. Seriously, stop killing each other. Stop fighting over religion. Stop. Just stop. We all bleed the same red, even if we look different, have been raised different and value different gods and political figures. The strong are supposed to protect the weak, not torture or shoot or oppress them. Who cares if you are Christian, Muslim or Buddhist, who cares if you're a democrat, republican or communist. Just don't. Seriously.  We'd get a lot more shit done if we weren't all trying to blow holes or drop bombs on each other.

After that sobering experience we were shown to a fish market and salting factory. The smell was nowhere near as bad as I had thought it was going to be. I don't know how you can eat that and not get sick though. It's all done out in the open by the dusty main road and there were flies in abundance. I suppose for the salted things, the salt would deal to most of it, but the sun dried fish, which our Tour Guide said he really liked, that's just done on bits of wire or metal or cardboard by the road side.

After the Fish factory we went off to a rice paper factory. It was really neat seeing how that was all done. Uncle Charles and our driver/guide had a spring roll each and I brought a water bottle sling like my mate Nada crochets back home - except mine is made out of what appears to be old rice fiber rope.

We then went back to the hotel to get rid of our excess bags and then it was off to Light House - a hostel that a lot of the people we're on this trip with support. Basically it provides a place for young people who come from a ways out of town or from poorer families to come and stay and attend the private High School or University. They have to pay a small fee to stay there, but they're given a lot of opportunities - such as attending the schools and week day programmes provided by volunteers. They get a bed, lunch and a bathroom as well. So it's effectively the Cambodian Equivilent of a Hall of Residence or Boarding school. The kids were aged from about 22 to 14/13 from what I could see. The place is run by a Swiss guy called Lucas and his Khmer wife Somalli (I'm not sure how to spell that...I probably should have asked). The girls were doing a sewing class with Caroline and Anne when we got there, they were making what I'd class as the Asian Style bathroom tolitries holder. I was melting so I was pretty useless - also I lack Khmer skills, not to mention there's this thing called being really shy and awkward in general.  But it was really cool to see the girls learning these skills and how the donations the place has gotten are having a really positive effect on these young lives.

After visting Light house we rattled back on Tuk Tuk to the hotel for a swim and to prep for dinner. Lucas and his family (5 daughters...what a mission!). The place we went to was effectively a Hot Pot. And it was delicious. It was really like being back at the flat. The girls were lovely once we got talking, I have no Khmer, and they had limited English so it was a lot of me showing pictures from Japan and home and a lot of them asking basic but interesting questions. 

Tomorrow is church, cafe, shopping and then a visit to the orphanage my parents and a lot of the people on this trip support to see how things are going there. Again I think I'm in for a bit of a kick in the pants when I go there, but hopefully I'll be able to learn something new and maybe teach the kids something new or just be a source of novelty for them for a bit. I'm hoping to find a pen pal of sorts if I can so we can help with improving and practice of English - but we'll see how that goes. We have to be up at some stupid hour again - but chances are we'll already be awake due to the wedding (if that's still going....I swear it's been going since we got here, but there are so many happening it's crazy...).

[astormyvoyage]

Cambodia Trip Day 6: November 28th 2014. Market, Music and Multiple Gekko's,

Aha! Breaking the trend of starting the blog with food photos. Have a spirti house instead. These things are outside a number of the homes here in the city and some out in the villages. I think that have something to do with the Hindi or Buddhist side of things here.

Comparatively things have gone pretty slow today. We started off with a trip to the market, which was an experience. I didn't manage to get many photos because I didn't really fancy being lost there. The sad thing was that most of the stuff was plasticy western junk, not the local crafts or clothes. Like, there are a few wee shops here selling things with a local, non-western flavour, but those places are often run by people who are European. The other thing I notice was all he bikes parked out in front of the market. Considering how many hoon around it shouldn't have been all that surprising, but it was a bit of a sight.

After the market we went to the Kitchen Cafe, Mum and Jen were meeting with Anne. I had a coconut and strawberry freeze/ice drink. There was a wedding going on next door with a whole lot of noise so in the end we wound up moving cafes around the corner to Jann Bai where we had lunch and then after that we went back to the hotel for a few hours.

We hit the pool and then I came in and started sorting myself out to go to the Hospital again to go and talk to and play Ukulele for this wee girl called Lita who had been injured quite seriously and not allowed to move from her bed for quite a while as her leg needed to be kept in one place. I showed her and some of the other ladies beside her (open wards are frankly quite terrifying, but they make do with what they got, and I suppose if you're in there for a long time it's nice to have some company) photos from Home and from our trip to Japan last year (there's some kids from Curtain University in Perth interning at Handa Hospital at the moment which is pretty funny - I don't know if they know any of the crew I went to Japan with) as well as played a little bit and sung on my Ukulele. Its nerve racking really, and the heat makes it very hard to sing for any amount of time but the people seemed to like it, so that was nice. 

After the hospital it was back to the Hotel, I wound up catching up on my Anime/TV shows for about an hour and a half and then it was off to dinner at the The Lotus Cafe. I had hamburger much to Mum's disgust because she wanted me to try the local food (I've been eating quite a bit of the local stuff, it's delicious, but tonight I felt like hamburger and fries...) and a Strawberry Mojhito followed by a coconut. Coconut milk is a lot fizzier than I thought it would be. I was quite surprised. 

Tomorrow is going to be packed again - sounds like we're doing the Bamboo train and something else in the morning and then going out to the kids at the Lighthouse Hostel for a sewing class or something. Not sure what dinner plans are, but if the weather is anything like it has been I have all my fingers and toes crossed for pool time.

[astormyvoyage]

Cambodia Trip Day 5: November 27th 2014 - Villages, Hospitals and Circus. 

I swear I've done more than eat on this trip. But breakfast this morning was fantastic. So there's a photo of that. The day started for me at 6.30am, I had the best sleep since leaving and have somewhat gotten used to the ever present heat and humidity outside. Though I am drinking lots of water. Like crazy amounts. 

We took a trip 10km out of Battambang to two villages where we watched as the programme we packed lessons for yesterday was taught in the ruins of a temple on the side of the road and underneath a house in the villages. The first group had upwards of around 60 kids, the second was a bit smaller with around 32. The kids seemed to enjoy it, which was cool and the teacher was very enthusiastic about what she was doing. 

We then rattled off back to the city and back to Cafe Eden where I had the American Chicken Strips and chips and a nap while the adults did their thing. Then it was off to Wilma and Jerry's to finish packing the materials we didn't manage to do yesterday. We also helped them set up for their Thanksgiving Dinner which they were prepping for them and the other Americans in the area. I also got to pet Angel the cat again. She's such a sweetie. The adults got distracted by Youtube for a bit too-  watching cat and bird videos - I thought that was pretty funny. 

It was then off to Handa Hospital. This is where a lot of the medical supplies and volunteers go to when they come over. It was cool for Auntie Jenny and Deb to see where the stuff they got over here in a shipping container was at and how it was being used - as well as the renovations and new systems that had been put in place since their last visits. Hospitals are a lot different from home. The wards are mainly all shared and the families are often in there with the patients, as they have to feed and take care of their basic needs. We were there for about an hour after dropping off the latest donations and then we were out the door and back to the hotel for a quick rest and then out the door again to a noodle place across from the Chinese Language School. We had something akin to a savoury pancake. gyoza and a stir-fried noodle dish. Lots of Garlic. It was delicious. 

Then we went to the Phare Ponleu Selpak circus. My mind was blown. There was acrobatics, juggling, balancing acts, fire dancing and unicycle stuff.Go. Seriously. If you're ever in Battambang just go. They also have like an arts school too - I brought a couple of paintings. You can find out more about them here: http://phareps.org/

I got back to the hotel at around 8.30pm and stayed in the pool till around 9pm and then came inside to do this and now I'm off to bed again. Tomorrow sounds like it's going to be a lot more chill.

[astormyvoyage]

Cambodia Trip Day 4: November 26th 2014. The Road from Siem Reap to Battambang. 

Today started again with me being awake before 6am local time which was a bit of a pain. I'm not hugely fussed with these broken sleeps I'm getting, but there isn't much you can do about being jet-lagged and over heated. We were supposed to be packed and ready by 8.30am this morning, and for the most part we were, but we still didn't manage to leave till about 8.45am. Breakfast provided the usual entertainment in the form of place-mats with witty remarks.

The road from Siem Reap to Battambang was pretty. Rice fields form miles in either direaction,  people working, kids going to or from school, buffalo in the fields, cows on the roadside, monks walking through the villages with their bowls, roadside petrol stations which are litterally just bottles of petrol on a food-stall like cart. What has been the most interesting is the scooters overloaded with people, food, pigs (we saw a cage on the back for a bike with about six or seven piglets in it), cows, beds, furnature - you name it, someone in Cambodia has probably packed it along with themselves onto a moped. Driving here is weird, for one thing, it's mostly scooters, for another they're on the right side of the road. Even I could drive here. I'll try get some photo's of the madness tomorrow if we go for a wander.

The drive was three hours long, and when we got to our hotel I was blown away. Its really flash. The shower has fantastic pressure, there's a pool and the toilet actually flushes without much coaxing. And the Wifi is actually faster than what I have back home. Seriously. We're here till Monday morning. Battambang is a lot more what I imagined Cambodia to be. It's a fusion of wealth and poverty, modern and archaic, local and western.

We pretty much put our bags in our rooms and then went around to the cafe called 'Eden' and met friends of Auntie Jens and Mums. So we had lunch which was actually really nice. I had a nap, and then we left for the house of the people we met at the Cafe to bag Sunday School stuff for the various outreaches run by the Khmer people, western missionaries and NGOs. I actually had a half hour nap before helping out because my wheels were falling off, it's hotter here than it is back at Siem Reap. Basically we were putting into plastic bags the activities and lesson materials. We kinda had a bit of a chain going and it was really soothing by the end of it because of the repetitive motions.

I made friends with their cat (we're not really supposed to touch animals while we're here, but this cat was safe as she is well looked after and not riddled with tics or lice and the like). She's had a bit of a rough few weeks the poor darling, she is only 6-9 months old herself but she had a litter of three kittens two weeks ago, who have since been killed by some other cat (or at least that is the theory, I won't go into it but basically the male owner found them dead and her distraught) so she's a bit out of sorts. Khmer/Cambodian cats are a lot smaller and scrawnier than NZ/Western cats, the same goes for most of the dogs. The wild life and domesticated animals here are actually really interesting, and I'll try get more pictures of them. 

I have no idea what the plan is for tomorrow. I just know I have to be ready to roll by 7am. :A; And then there was something said about going out and seeing a village/the area where some of the materials we packed today are distributed. And then more packing, and then maybe an Acrobatic Circus??? Who knows. All that I know is that I'm off to bed because I'm tired. 

[astormyvoyage]

25th November 2014 - Cambodia Trip; Angkor Wat and New Hope Cambodia.

So today has been full on. It was up at 7am (though we were awake at around 6ish because Mum got too cold, turned the aircon off at like 3am and I woke up at around 6am too hot...) and out on the Tuk Tuk on our way to Angkor Wat by 8.30am. We had a really cool guide who helped us see three of the main temples before we had to be at the New Hope Trainee Restaurant for lunch at 12.30. 

But anyway - breakfast. I am still cracking up at the place-mats we have here. They're really witty. Today mine for breakfast basically reminded me of my non-existent love life and poor posture....the food was nice, lots of fruit and some good ol' corn flakes. There are a few resident ducks/geese(?) who look pretty vicious wandering around in charge of pest control along with the goldfish ponds. They came into the restaurant looking for toast crumbs or something so one of the staff kinda moved them on with a broom which was pretty funny.

Mum, Uncle Charles and I were then packed off into a Tuk Tuk with a guide and sent on our way to Angkor Wat. Seriously, I have no words to properly express my awe at that place. It's been on my to travel to list for ages, and to actually be able to go and see it in person was mind blowing. The sheer scale of engineering and age alone is just wow. The culture and the detail in these ruins were just amazing. There were so many wow moments for me, and I'd highly recommend going if you ever get the chance, just leave enough time to relax and take it all in, also take plenty of water and wear a hat or something because I got seriously overheated very quickly. 

It was then off to the New Hope clinic and school to have a look at what they were all about as well as sample the food from the trainee restaurant attached to the complex (the food was fantastic!) - the people Mum and I are on the trip with are involved quite heavily with getting supplies across to these guys. They;re doing some fantastic work by providing education and free healthcare as well as food to disadvantaged people from around Siem Reap. Basically the families have to send their kids to school in the morning and afternoon, and the whole family gets an allowance of food every few weeks. The kids were really cute, and the music room they have there is better equipped than the one we had back at Southland Girls High. The rest of the area was pretty basic, but it was doing it's job and doing it well. We then were packed back into another Tuk Tuk and taken to see the village where the families were living. It was pretty humbling, but because they are living on this land that's not theirs, the government can pretty much come and move them all and bulldoze the shacks. So improving their actual living conditions is really difficult. To find out more about what New Hope does, have a gander at their website: http://www.newhopecambodia.com/

After that we went and had a talk to a lady from a place called Safe Haven (http://safehavenkhmer.org/) which helps families with disabled children. I managed to stay for the initial explanation of what the foundation does, but then I started to feel the effects of lack of sleep, too much heat and a dicky shoulder so while Mum and Auntie Jen sorted out what these people needed next time people like us came over/next time they managed to get permission for a shipping container into Cambodia I went back to the Hotel on the Tuk Tuk. 

I was greeted on my return by a gekko. The little fella would have been about as long as my hand and a brownish green colour. It launched itself off of the wall above the door, onto my chest and then sprung up onto the curtain before taking off and running under the door back outside. Despite my shock and being literally jumped, I didn't scream or drop anything.

I climbed into bed for about an hour until Mum and the others got back, then I went for a swim at the hotel pool and now it's time for bed. Dinner was pretty good, Yakitori and Ginger and Chicken Wontons. 

Tomorrow we're off to Battambang to the Orphanage and Hospital out there. That's where we're going to be getting a bit more hands on and I might even get to lend a hand in English lessons which will be pretty cool! We have to be up by 7am again, and then on the van by 8am. It's three hours from Siem Reap, so it should be a pretty interesting journey. 

[astormyvoyage]

Cambodia Trip: Day Two - 24th November 2014. Singapore to Seim Reap.

So I had post all typed up and about to post it, and then Mum killed the power to the room trying to find the light switch and because I've taken my old laptop where it doesn't go if the charger isn't plugged in, I lost it. :A; So this will be the abbreviated version.

We had brunch at a place called TimHoWan, which was a yum cha place pretty much. We all ate so much and then went next door to get Starbucks before having a quick look around the shopping centre. Then it was off to the Hotel to check out and head to the airport. It was raining pretty heavily when we left, after being incredibly humid in the morning. 

We then had a good deal of time at the airport in terminal...? I think it was three, but I'm not sure. Basically I brought a couple of t-shirts because what I was wearing wasn't as comfortable as I thought it was going to be because I have put on a little bit of weight recently...ahahaha. And then I found the Singapore Zoo shop and brought a wee plush of the Panda I sort of share a name with, Kai Kai. He's now attached to my day bag and will kep Fuwa Fuwa happy. 

I got seriously distracted by the Koi ponds in the terminal. The were so big! Particularly this one all white fish. Like seriously, it would have been about the same size as our wee fox terrier back home. I really want a koi pond. :A; But effort and legal stuff.

The flight over wasn't too bad. It was an hour and fifty minutes long and had mild turbulence. We got to Siem Reap and it was 31*c. Ahahaha...I'm going to melt here. Dinner was pretty low key at the hotel, I nearly got taken out by a small tree hopping mammal on the way to where we were eating by the pool, and there were frogs or toads making noises which was cool. The crickets are out in force too. 

So far I've nearly electrocuted myself on the dodgy power-points twice, so we'll see if I've earned a Darwin award by the end of this trip. Its also very strange to not be able to drink or use tap water for doing stuff like brushing teeth or washing hands. 

Tomorrow at 8.30 we're going to Angkor Wat, and then being fed by the people at New Hope for $7 for lunch. We're here for another night and then we're off to Battambang for a few nights.

Right. Time for bed. Its something like 11pm here (5.20am back home) and I have to be up at 7am. :A;

[astormyvoyage]

November 23rd 2014 - Cambodia trip: Travel and Singapore!

Well, yesterday was a whirlwind. Gosh. I woke up at 4am, showered, ate and then sat outside from 5am-5.45am when the shuttle came and picked me up. Standing outside my house in Dunedin at that time of the morning was kinda enlighening. The birds were out, the sun rose and everything was really still and peacefull - well except me. I was panic central because despite the fact I'd ordered the shuttle for 5am-5.30am they were going to send it at 5.45am. But we made it on time, checked in and then I got to bum around in Christchurch Airport for a couple of hours while I waited for Mum.

We flew out at noon NZ time and got to Singapore at around 5.40pm. Then it was the WiFi hunt so I could contact my mate, sort out a taxi (thanks for the tip Parvarne! Don't take the fancy taxis, they cost more, stick to the Seddans, the Mercedes and old timey ones cost a lot more). Check in was  abit convoluted, we were booked under Uncle Charles's name, so we had to get identity verified ect. But that was done, and then I managed to contact Parvarne again, only to have my LINE spammed by WHERE ARE YOU! And COME DOWN COME DOWN COME DOWN!

So I literally hit Singapore running. It's so hot here. Like it's around 8am their time and it's already hit 26*c. I'm melting. I'm not sure what Cambodia's supposed to be like. But anyway, last night I caught up with one of my mates from Otago, and we went out to a local style resturant and ate a lot of pork as pictured above. Then we explored the area around my hotel and boy was it pretty - but HUMID, like the trees pretty much rained on us, even though it wasn't actually raining. There was this vertical bungie chair thing too, which we sat and watched for a bit as we ate our Green Tea Ice-cream. I got pretty tired around 10pm local time (by that point I'd been awake around 20 hours) so I parted ways with my mate and then collapsed into the shower and then bed.

Not sure what exactly is happening today, but we're going up to Charles and Jennies room at around 9.30am, to pack suitcases and stuff. Mums already hit the gym. We fly out at around 5pm Local time. So we're gonna be in the airport around lunch time. Then it's off to Cambodia. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to update the blog while I'm there because finding three pronged adaptors for Asia is frickin impossible. But yeah, this has been an update.

[astormyvoyage]

Cambodia Trip: Pre-departure write up. November 22nd 20014.

This time last year I was being taken around some part of Tokyo, I think it was Narita. Maybe? Or that might have been tomorrow...or this could be the day one of the migraines claimed me and I could have been hurling into a bucket...ANYWAY. Guess who's getting their travel pants back on? Me. This time to Cambodia with my mother. 

A lot has changed in the last year. I've graduated, completed a dissertation, been stuck in the Library more hours than I ever used it to study for work and have made some pretty cool friends. I've changed my name in all forms except legally (which for now costs a bit too much when it comes down to having to get all my ID/passport and stuff changed). I've been quite homesick for Tokyo and the people I met there this year, but hopefully next year I will have the opportunity to live and work in Japan through JET - providing I filled out the application correctly, and get an interview, do well in said interview and get contracted. Ahahaha. Growing up is a trap. Don't do it kids. 

Yesterday was pretty decent. I went and got extra passport photo's for my Visa and then went busking for about an hour (I MADE $4!!! New record!). I then got drawn into Jay-Jays by their 2 for $40 sale and picked up yet another Pokemon t-shirt and an Adventure Time shirt with my face girls on it. Yaaaaaay. Money!!! (Side note, I need to picks some happy songs for busking - possibly Christmas songs closer to the time, hopefully that'll mean I can draw in more $$$). I then went to McDonalds at 10.15pm with Whina and we stayed chatting till like midnight, then I came home and suddenly it was 4am and I was still awake???? So that was a thing. Considering I have to get up at 4am tomorrow, there will be no repeat of that experience. Hopefully. The internet is a thing. 

So basically the plan for tomorrow is; wake up before the asscrack of dawn (4am), stumble around the house being as quiet as I can, eat something, shower and then wait for my shuttle which is due to pick me up at 5am. It's then off to the Airport, where I have to figure out how to check in and then I fly out of Dunedin at around 7.15am to arrive in Christchurch at like 8.15am. I then get to hang around until Mum gets there at 10am and then we hit the next flight which leaves for Singapore at noon. We arrive in Singapore at around 5.40pm local time and then bustle off to our hotel for the night. I'm off to hang out with a friend of mine at around 7.30-8pm for dinner and then I have the morning of the next day to do a wee bit of exploring around my hotel. I kinda want to go to the Zoo, but I don't think we'll make it because time is a thing. 

Softball was cancelled today because despite the fact it's supposed to be summer, the weather is balls. Like seriously. I think it was similar last year around this time, but it feels more like winter than summer at the moment - the only thing that has changed is that some times at night it gets a bit muggy. 

I have no idea at all what to expect of this trip. My Mum asked me if I wanted to go, and I said yes. So I'm just going to go with the flow. It's going to be totally different from Japan, I know that much for certain. Hopefully I'll get to see Angkor Wat and get to hang out with the kids from the orphanage/hospital a wee bit. Hopefully I won't get lost and avoid getting sick. Wish me luck people. Now it's off for McDonalds or Fish and Chips for dinner because I literally have no food left in the house other than cereal for breakfast tomorrow. Well done me. 

[astormyvoyage]

Camping Trip - Jan 31st, Feb 1st 2014.

So, over the weekend my friends and I went camping out in the wopps. Well, we say camping, but basically we just stayed in tents and did what we usually do on Friday nights during the term time...watched movies. Getting to the camping ground was a bloody mission. We had to fit five people and all the gear into one tiny wee car. It was like a game of tetris. The three of us in the back seat had everything from cooking stuff to bedding to bubble blowing apparatuses stacked on and around us and we could hardly move. When we got to the site and opened the car doors, we pretty much just fell out in a pile of things.

Setting up camp was a lot of fun, I ran around doing nothing really after helping put up one tent - I'm good like that. But it took us less than an hour to get the three tents set up and the stuff stowed away. We made dinner and played songs on our Ukuleles (largely the Frozen Soundtrack and some other favourites). Chris and I went for a wander around the campsite after dinner looking in on the swimming hole and the main cabins. The sun was in the process of setting so I got the opportunity to shoot some really nice scenes while Chris took a trip down memory lane about his days as a Boy Scout.

We all then piled into the car and went back into town to pick up all the things we'd forgotten (screw drivers, warm clothes, drink bottles ect.) and go and check out the fireworks and entertainement at the Chinese Gardens for Chinese New Year. The fireworks were really cool! And we ran into my flatmate Yukie and her boyfriend Jiro and my other flatmate Leo and we may or may not have been unintentionally stalking Sarah and Alex for most the night with the car.

We then returned back to the camp ground, the stars were out in force! The sky was clear for like an hour when we got back and made a camp fire, but by then we'd started to kind of creep ourselves out because SOMEONE (CHRIS!) had decided to talk about Supernatural and our imaginations had begun to run away with us. After the camp-fire burned down we all bundled into the boys tent and did what we do nearly every Friday night and watched a movie - one of the boys had a copy of FROZEN, so we watched that for the millionth time. I fell asleep despite not wanting too halfway through and by the time I woke up it was over and we were heading off to our tents.

THEN SHIZ WENT DOWN. It was around 2am, the witching hour, when strange lights started to flicker around our campsite.  At first Renee and I thought it was James and Chris being idiots, but then they called out asking who's playing around with the torch? And then we started to panic. So Whina (in her own tent by her self) got all her stuff and moved into the big tent and Chris went to check out what was happening and found nothing so we all spent the night in terror. I didn't remember this till I was back safe at home the next day (thank-goodness) but in 2012, my friend and her mates were out near where we were one night and they saw similar lights at around the same time and then a whole heap of odd stuff happened and she missed her exam the next day. 

SO on the 1st of Feb, we had all had a guts full of being eaten alive by sandflies and the overcast weather and decided staying another night would be asking for trouble (so we text Chris who had gone into work for the morning) and told him that we were going to camp in his lounge instead. We packed up while we waited for him to be done with work and then Kayla's Dad came and picked her and Whina up (along with half their gear HORRAY) and we all piled into cars and got the heck out of there. 

We all went home and upacked our stuff, showered and then MOST of us went back to Chris's place and we had a surprise birthday thingy for Kayla who's turning 19 this week. It involved watching 'The Hogfather' and eating all the food we didn't eat at camp. And a butt ton of bubbles and glow sticks. Chris and I went around and tried to scare Ruth at her new flat, but unfortunately our plan was thwarted by a kitchen window being far too high for even Chris to be able to see in. And then we went back and watched the second half of 'The Hogfather'. After that was done, I hitched a ride home with Kayla, Whina and Renee and got a good nights rest in my own bed. 

So thusly ends the adventure that was SPACE CAMP 2014. Next time we're going to hire the cabins because we're all giant softies. 

[astormyvoyage]

December 13th - December 16th: The Long Way Home, Various Naps, Surprises and Return to the Castle.

So I'm back in Dunedin for now. It's actually the 17th and I'm expecting a call from my parents some time in the next hour as they're coming up to visit friends and have dinner with me in Dunedin before we go back down to Invercargill tomorrow. I've got three-four weeks of work to look forward too as well as issolation from the internet. I've also got to sort out the direction of my Dip Grad Ling project in that time. Meep. 

Anywho, the 13th of December marked our departure from Japan. We spent our last lunch time with Dan in Kajigaya's local Mos Burger, which was delicious and the mark of the meals we were to consume for the rest of our trip. We sat on the bench outside the supermarket for the final time, and took heaps of photos on our way back to the dorm to do a final dash of packing and signing out. We did our usual last minute thing where we remembered two awesome girls we'd met who attend Rissho, and put our contact information in one of their letter boxes. 

We made it to the airport after three-four hours of travel via train, with just enough time to cram a meal of McDonalds into our gob after checking in. Our friend Vicky had come all the way from Sakura station to see us off and had been waiting for an hour before we got to the airport, which we all felt a bit stink about, but we got to spend a good hour with her before we had to shove ourselves into the plane. 

We had a 11 hour stop over in Sydney International Airport. I spent the majority of that napping, and photographic evidence was snapped of that fact. As was standard throughout the trip, my camera found it's way into Ruth's hands. 

About half an hour before our flight a group of elderly Japanese tourists came and sat down beside us. I don't quite remember how it happened, but we all started talking, and hilarity and creepy coincidences ensued. They had been in NZ for about three weeks doing the Keplar tramp and other stuff around the South Island. We found out one of the lady's was an alumni of Rissho Uni, so that was hard case. We told them (I say we, but it was largely Ruth and Jelena) about our stay in Tokyo. And then I realised that Luke had been a cheeky boy and signed my Ukulele in two places...which made the three of us tear up a wee bit. 

Then it was three hours to NZ by plane. Then a 7 hour wait in the Auckland airport, which resulted in more naps and hilarious photos taken by Ruth who did not sleep. At 5am local time we marched our way over to the Domestic Terminal and tried to sign in. Then realised we had to wait another half an hour. So we did that. I went off and grabbed McDonalds Hot Cakes for breakfast, much to the disgust of the other two who by then were so sickened by the idea that they swore the could smell the syrup before I even opened it. I might have been a bit grumpy about this development, so sorry for ruffling feathers there. By that stage it was a wonder that they hadn't smothered me in my sleep. At 7.20 we parted from Jelena and boarded the plane for Dunedin. I had to wait back because despite managing to get it all the way from Narita to Auckland, apparenly my carry on was too heavy and needed to go in the baggage compartment of the plane. SO it did. No extra charge thank goodness once I'd explained we had been travelling with Quantas till then. 

Ruth's Mum picked us up from the airport and then dropped me off home. I was very glad to find I could still remember my door code and get into both the house and my room with no issues. Once I'd said my thank-yous and goodbyes, I climbed back upstairs and sat on my computer for a while before heaving up the motivation for a shower. Though the dorm showers had been decent, I was glad of the pressure back here. And for once there was hot water and nobody was around to play with the taps. I managed to stay awake till around 10pm, and then didn't crawl out of bed till mid-day yesterday. The weather here has been more winter-esqe than the weather in Tokyo was. We had a massive thunderstorm yesterday which has delayed the drying of my washing. 

So yup, until I do some wee national road trips with my buddies in February, this has been the last travel blog entry for a while. Thanks for sticking with me, those of you who've bothered to read these things. It's been wonderful. 

[astormyvoyage]

December 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th: Many-many things, Catching up with Host Sisters, Graduation from Otago, Goodbye from Rissho. 

So. Yeah. It's been busy. We're flying out today at 7.50pm from Narita, meeting Dan for lunch at Kajigaya station for lunch today at noon. Vicky might be coming to see Jelena, Ruth and I off at the airport. Far out, I can't believe how quick this time has gone by. It's been muy rapido/ とてもはいやい/very quick. 

On the 8th of December I met with my Host Sister Natsumi and our friend Misaki at Shibuya. We then went on a bit of an adventure around Tokyo. Moral of the story is, sometimes having no plan is the best plan. We wound up in Ueno for a bit and had a wander through a really busy shopping district I forgot the name of, and had Takoyaki for lunch. IT WAS SO YUMMY. After that we spent about half an hour trying to figure out what to do so we went to the Tokyo Sky Tree. It wasn't open for the day yet, but we got a good look at it, and it's been added to the top of my list of things to do next time I come to Japan. After that we went to Asakusa, and I got a fortune. Creepy thing is, three of the temples/shrines I've been too including the one at Asakusa have given me almost the same fortunes. For example, my luck is average-better than average, if I get sick it will last a while if I don't get it sorted out, I'm going to meet somebody very soon, South West is my lucky direction, if I lose something it will be easy to find, if I want now is a good time to build a house and I will have a good year. The rest of the group have all gotten vastly different fortunes...

Natsumi, Misaki and I then went and sat in Starbucks and had a chat for about two hours. It was really nice. I might have creeped them out by pulling up the things I remembered about their hobbies when they were in High School (SORRY!!!) but I have a bit of a knack for remembering useless information pertaining to music. Overall it was a nice catch up, and I am very frustrated with myself for not taking the initiative to hammer more Japanese into my thick skull before coming here and being too scared to make mistakes when communicating here. :A;.

After Starbucks, Misaki had to go to a dinner/meeting. So Natsumi and I met Dan, Luke, Ren, Vicky, Jelena and Ruth in Ebisu for dinner. We went to a fancy Sushi/sashimi place after dicking around for the usual half an hour deciding what to do. I think everybody had a lot of fun. So thanks so much Natsumi and Misaki for that awesome Sunday. You girls are hilarious and I'll be sure to tell Caleb that you think he's handsome now! I'll see you soon!!!

9th of December....hmm, I think we went to the Tea Ceremony class. That was very interesting...but painful. Seiza is the worst, I can barely hold it for five-minutes at Training, but we had to sit in it for a good half hour. One of the Japanese blokes kinda toppled over after he'd been sitting in it for a while - which was quite funny, as none of us foreigners did. Mao and Shyuhei were there, and I think one of them has got photo's of me taking a surprise nap while we waited for the second group to finish.... Mao and Shyuhei, if you're reading this, thanks so much for hanging out with us while we've been here. You guys are great.

After that we wandered around Harajuku for a bit. I brought hairdye and a SNK jacket. We also had really yummy crepes. Ren helped me put the colour through when I got home and it turned out pretty awesome. Then there was midnight and it was December the 10th.

We kind of just mucked around in the earlier classes, playing around with poetry and our performance practice. The teachers are so lovely. I'm actually going to miss everybody so much. There's this philosophy that you never meet anybody by chance. Each person you meet leaves a small imprint on you, good and bad, but I think the people on this trip from the staff to the helpers to the exchange students, you've all left a good imprint on me. I've changed a little I think since I've been here.

After classes I split off from the RIEA students and went to Shibuya to meet Misa. We did Pirikura and then headed off for 自由が丘スイーツフォレスト(JiyugaokaSweetsForest). We sat and yacked for ages, caught up on all the gossip ect. It was great to see her and kind of talk about our plans for the future and the fact we're both going to be writing a thesis next year. Then I ran into Kathy, Nana and Kin, which was pretty funny as that's happened through out the whole trip where we run into each other after making plans independently from each other... Anyway, Misa, thank you so much for coming to meet me and taking me to the sweets place!!!!

The 11th marked my Graduation Day. I spent it recording my video for the performance, practincing my wee speel and having fun with Mami and Vicky as well as the usual group of ryugakusei. We had a blast wandering around the Osaki area, I found some CDs I'd been after. Ren found Manga. We all found an amazing Soba place and an almost allergy free ice-cream place. Thanks Vicky and Mami for looking out for us!!!

The 12th was a bit of a mixed bag. We had an hour to practice for our presentation at the start of the day, getting my Ukulele to school during rush hour train time was bloody horrible. But we made it. The presentations were hilarious and I think everybody really had fun. The Sayonara party was great, a bit sad, but great. I got everybody to sign my ukulele, so when I get home I'm going to buy a wall mount and hang it by my desk so I have something nice to look at while I'm crying over my dissertation. Luke, Mami and Iboshi took us to Karaoke in Osaki for two hours then Luke had to leave. The poor boy got crushed in a massive hug from all us girls, thanks so much buddy - your passion for people and places is inspiring, you're a great leader, keep it up.

We then went to dinner with Harumi, Mami, Ryosuke, Hayato and Vicky. That was a bit of a mixed bag of emotions too. While we had fun the looming sense of our departure kind of hung over us all. We had to get Ren back to the Dorm by 10pm so she could catch the last train (which after a circus and a half of organisation and repacking one of the other girls suitcases turned into a taxi ride) meant we couldn't be out too late. We all held together well till we got to the wickets leading to the Denintoshi line. Mami broke down into tears and then we all started sniffling, much to the amusement of all the people around us. Many hugs and tears later we were on the train trying not to cry. It's going to be so strange not catching that thing every morning and evening.

Thank you all so much for making this trip amazing. I will be back. Hopefully for longer, hopefully with more of the language under my belt.

Wish us luck for our flight home, it's really likely I'll be online during our Sydney stop over, so if anybody wants to chat and keep us company, hit us up on FB or Skype. Until next time - Hannah.

[astormyvoyage]

SO we're leaving today. I will probably update this later in Sydney. It's been a bit of a roller coaster of emotion for us all. Many tears and stresses about catching the right trains to get to the Airports at various heinous times in the morning. Ruth, Jelena and I don't fly out till 7.50pm, so we're leaving the dorm at one. Wish us luck.

[astormyvoyage]

Got busy/Lazy again. I shall update when I have breathing space. We're flying home tomorrow, stuck in Sydney for about 12 hours, so I shall probably work on all this there. Wish us luck